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Mr Tulkinghorn's house in Bleak House
Susan Gane (2001)
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Starting near the Dickens House Museum in Doughty
Street, the only one of Dickens' homes still standing today, this walk explores the hidden medieval alleys, courtyards, and
gardens off Holborn, one of London's ancient roads. In Dickens' day
the area was very mixed. There were streets of smart new Georgian houses for
the prosperous middle class, like Charles and Catherine Dickens, and
courts like Bleeding Heart Yard, containing factories and overcrowded
housing for respectable, if struggling, working class families. But
there were also appalling slums, home to men like Fagin who
belonged to London's
criminal under class.
Dickens wrote Oliver Twist when he was
living in Doughty Street and returned to the area in Little Dorrit and
Bleak House; the walk covers scenes from all three novels. We
will also see the elegant buildings and lovely gardens of some of the Inns
of Court, home to lawyers for many centuries, and some of London's oldest
half timbered houses.
Walks start at Chancery
Lane underground station last for
one and half to two hours and are led by Susan Gane.
They cost £6 per person, £4 concessions, with accompanied children
under twelve free of charge. They should be arranged in advance; the minimum group size
is seven people, not counting accompanied children
under twelve. Contact Susan by email here
using the title Dickens London Walk.
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